After making the rounds to all six section
meetings with International President Lanny McMahill and four
meetings with Vice President of International Affairs Doug
Geralde, we learned once again that even though things are
different many things are the same. The uniqueness of each
section was evident but as we met with leaders and members it
was clear that all had similar goals and problems, no, make
that, opportunities.
The most common problem was that all across
IAEI, membership is continuing to fall. Even though IAEI
offers many benefits to the inspector member as well as the
associate member, we all are having problems retaining
members. New members are joining at a rate that should show
continued growth but for reasons we haven’t been able to
identify, members are not renewing for the second or third
year. Statistics indicate that if we can hold the new member
for two or three years then they become long-term members.
What can we do to keep members long enough
for them to realize what great benefits and opportunities are
available to them? We must do a better job of expounding on
what IAEI is all about and what it offers for the $90.00 a
year dues.
The first benefit that jumps to the
forefront is the IAEI News. The award-winning bimonthly
magazine has timely articles written by many experts in the
electrical field. Each issue contains answers by our
representatives on the various code-making panels to Code questions sent in by the members. A section is provided for
chapter and division meeting minutes. This provides insight on
what is going on in meetings across IAEI.
Another benefit of IAEI membership and
participation is the ability to engage in the code making
process. Proposals and Comments start at the division and
chapter level where proposed changes can be discussed and
developed and forwarded to IAEI International level for
support of the IAEI representative on the code-making panels.
IAEI has forty representatives on the nineteen code-making
panels and the Technical Correlating Committee. IAEI’s voice
is heard and your continued membership will assure that it
will continue to be heard.
The future of IAEI depends on developing
leaders. The opportunity for members to work and participate
in the many varied functions and committees of IAEI, from the
local division and chapter, offers members an excellent way of
developing and refining their leadership skills. Maybe
everybody can’t be an international president but there are
many positions that need dedicated and willing people to
serve.
Of course, education and training is a very
important benefit for IAEI members. IAEI offers superior
training materials. The Analysis of Changes, Soares
Grounding, One- and Two-Family Dwellings, and many
other publications are examples. Along with these materials,
IAEI offers seminars on these subjects. Chapters and divisions
conduct seminars at the local level using local instructors.
The International Office also provides seminars conducted by
trained IO instructors.
These benefits are available to IAEI
members—inspector and associate. Even though the associate
member may not be able to hold some offices reserved for
inspectors, there are other benefits that are valuable to the
associate. The ability to network with the enforcer is just
one.
With these benefits and many others that
you may identify, why is the membership declining? Is it that
younger people entering the trade are not interested in
membership in associations? Are we not doing things that our
predecessors founded this association for some 75 years ago?
What do we need to do to reverse the trend of declining
membership? It can’t be the $90.00 membership dues! $90.00
is still lower than any other association such as ours.
The International Board of Directors asked
the International Office to conduct a membership survey to
help them in future planning. Have you completed yours and
sent it to the IO yet? It was bound in the May/June issue of
the IAEI News and was handed out at all the section meetings.
If you have misplaced your copy, contact the IO and get one.
The information that we get back from the members will help us
determine what you want and need.
A new year has started. It is not too late
to make that resolution to work for your IAEI and educate
yourself in order to do your job better.
IAEI CEO and Executive
Director, and Editor-in-Chief for the IAEI News,
James Carpenter was previously the chief electrical
engineer, state electrical inspector for the Engineering
Division of the Office of State Fire Marshal, North
Carolina Department of Insurance. He had been with the
department for twenty years, with twenty years
electrical experience prior to coming to the state. He
was a member of CMP-2 from 1987 through 2002 and was
chairman for three cycles. He has been a member of IAEI
since 1972. He is also a member of NFPA and now is
serving as the TCC chair; and is on the UL Electrical
Council. |
